Suspender-buckle.



G. A. WELD;

SUSPENDER BUCKLE.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 29, 1909.

Patented Jan. 4, 1916.' I

' frame is made.

GEORGE A. WELD, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

SUSPENDER-BUCKLE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed November 29, 1909. Serial No. 530,369.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Gnoncn A. WELD, of Boston, in the county of Suffolkand State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Suspender- Buckles, of which the following is aspecification.

This invention relates to buckles adapted to'be used in connection withthe webbing of which suspenders, garters and other articlesof apparelare made, or with which they are provided. h loreparticularly theinvention relates to that type of buckle which is so constructed thatthe webbing may be disposed between the buckle and the wearer to protectthe buckle from moisture,

sothat it will be less liable to rust.

The objectof the invention is to provide for more efficient and securegripping of the webbing to which the buckleis applied by providing'twoclamping surfaces or grippers adapted'to cooperate with the clamp leandin back of the gripper portion of such clamp lever.

The mode in which the object of my invention is attained is set forth inthe following specification and claims, and a construction ofbuokle inwhich the invention is embodied is illustrated in the accompanying.

drawings. Y

In the drawings, Figure 1 represents such a buckle in front elevation,showing the webbing applied thereto. Fig. 2 is an elevation -of thebuckle frame with the webbing re moved. Fig. 3 is an end elevation of.the

' buckle and webbing showing the position of the parts when the webbingis secured. Fig. 1 is a sectional viewof the same. Figs. 5 and 6 areelevations of a modified form of buckle. Fig. 7 is an elevation of ablank from whichanother modified form'of buckle V Figs. 8 and 9 arerespectively a front elevation and an end elevation of a form of buckle,inwhich a frame made from the blank shown in Fig. 7 is used. 'Figs. 10and 11 are front'and end of buckle.

elevations of a third modified form of buckle. Figs. 12 and 13 aresimilar views of a fourth modified form of buckle. Fig.

' Patented J an.,4,1916

1 1 is an elevation of a blank from which the buckle frame of Fig. 12 ismade. Fig. 15 is a sectional view of another modified form Fig. 16 is anelevation of a blank from which the form of buckle shown in Fig. 15 ismade.

The same reference characters indicate the same parts in all thefigures.

Referring to Figs. 1-4 of the drawings the buckle there -shown consistsof a frame memher 1 and a clamp member 2, the latter hav- 1 ill ing ears3 or bearings which surround the pintles 4 of the frame member.Preferably the clamp member is formed of sheet metal 'ofwhich the ears 3are integral parts and formed with a clamp or gripper 5 between 1'.

the ears. -This clamp or gripper 5 is arranged to press against and biteinto the webbing and is provided with teeth or points to increase thetenacity of its vgrip.

The frame member or portion 1 is 'pref- I 1 erably made of wire disposedin such a way as to beresilient. In the preferred form of the buckle theframe member has a straight central portion 6 to'form one grippingjaw'or gripper which may be flattened 'I if desired. At. theends' ofthis jaw or gripper, the wire is bent downward and inward, and thenoutward, forming two loops 7 which extend toward one another. The

sides 8 of these loops together form a sec-'1 0nd gripper-or jaw whichis disposed parallel to the gripper 6 and a slight distance below the.upper edgeof the same. The ends of the wire are then bent upward andinward, forming'the pintles 4:, which are approximately in line witheach other and'are separated from the grippers 6 and 8 by-a distancesufficient to admit two thicknesses of webbing. When the clamp member 2is applied to the pintles it forms one boundary of the space in whichthe webbing is contained. The buckle is applied to theweb bing in themanner shown in Figs. 3 and i,

-theend 9 or the webbing being passed through the space 10 in thebuckle'left for i that purpose from the back. The running or adjusting part 12of the webbing passes throughzthe space 10 outside of the end 9 "andiscarried upward; By this manner of lit) disposing the webbing the rearof the buckle, or in other words that part which lies next to the bodyof the wearer, is entirely covered and is protected from moisture, sothat liability of rusting is prevented or reduced to the minimum.

i' i hen the outer part of the clamp member is raised as shown in Fig.l, the clamp 5 thereof is lifted away from the grippers or jaws 6 and 8,leaving the space 10 unobstructed for the adjustable part 12 of thewebbing to be drawn through. Tn securing the webbing the clamp member orlever is turned down and the gripping or clamping part 5 thereof pressesthe webbing clownward against the jaws 8 and backward against thegripper 6. The resiliency of the frame member allows the gripping aws orsurfaces 8 to yield downward and the gripping jaws 6 to yield rearwardlyso that the clamp 5 is enabled to pass the gripper 8 and lie between thelatter and the gripper 6. To permit of this effect the parts 8 are loweror farther removed from the clamp lever than the gripper 6. When clampedthe webbing which is pressed upon by the clamp 5 is crowded between thegrippers 6 and 8. These grippers then exert a pressure respectivelyforward and upward against the webbing. In other words, the two yieldingportions or grippers, in holding the webbing against the operatingmember or clamp, exert forces in directions substantially at rightangles to each other. Thus the webbing is held between a clamp and twocomplemental grippers or aws which press against the opposite side ofthe webbing from that engaged by the clamp atv separated points and onopposite sides of the bite of the clamp.

In order that the gripper or grippers 8 may have a sufficient extent ofhearing, it is desirable that they should collectively form a surface asnearly as possible of the same length as the gripper 6 and therefore theloops 7 are made to extend close to one another. he desired effect as togripping the webbing is secured by so arranging the grippers 6 and Swith relation to each other that the clamp 5 is adapted to pass over thegrippers 8 and, through the interposition of the webbing, separate thegr'pper 6 lat erally or rearwardly therefrom.

In Figs. 5 and 6 is shown a form of buckle embodying thee sameprinciples as already described, but having a single loop instead oftwo. In this form of buckle the wire of which the frame is made has aback jaw 6" and a front jaw 8, both being approximately co-extensive andextending throughout the full width of the buckle. These grippers areconnected at opposite ends of a single loop 7, while the pintles 4:connect respectively with the different jaws or grippers. The grippingportions or jaws 6 and S are separated so that the prongs of the clamp 5pass over the latter and crowd the webbin between the two, and the jaw 8yields downwardly when the clamp prongs are passed over it.

In Figs. 7, 8 and 9 is shown a buckle of which the frame is stamped fromsheet metal. Between the side and top edges of the frame 1 cuts are madeso as to form a tongue integrally united with the lower part of theframe member blank. Other cuts within and parallel to the outline ofsaid tongue are also made so that astrip is formed which is united withthe frame at the ends. This strip is bent over as shown in Fig. 9 andbecomes a forward gripper 8", while the material remaining becomes theback gripper 6 The upper part of the frame remaining after this tongueor bar is bent over forms a pintle bar 3' around which the curled earsor bearings 3 of the clamp member are bent.

By reason of its construction, the strip or front gripper 8 which isconnected by narrow curved webs or necks of thin sheet metal to theframe of the buckle, is springy and adapted to yield downwardly when theclamp presses on the webbing in passing over it, thereafter pressingupwardly against the webbing. Likewise the rear gripper 6",

which is a wide tongue united at its base to the buckle frame, butseparated therefrom at its ends, is ada ted to yield reaiwardly underthe pressure exerted in that direction on the webbing by the clamp, andto press on the webbing in the for ard direction. Essentially the sameconditions as to yielding of, and exertion of pressure by, the grippersexist in this form of gripper as already described in connection withFigs.

In Figs. 10 and 11 is shown a buckle having a frame 1 made of sheetmetal in the central part of which a tongue is stamped. This tongue isbent sharply backward and then its outer edge is bent up as shown inFig. 11, so that the forward bend becomes a front gripper 8, and theback upwardly bent edge becomes the rear gripper (3 between which thewebbing is clamped by the clamp lever. The rear grippeiy'being formed bythe upwardly bent end of a sheet metal tongue, not connected at itssides with the frame of the buckle, is resilient and thereby adapted toyield rcarwardly under the pres sure applied by the clamp member to thewebbing, and to react or press forwardly against the webbing clampedthereby.

In Fig. 1% is shown a sheet metal blank 1 whichis out on the line a toform a tongue integral with the body of the blank. This tongue isapertured with a line of holes I) and is bent sharply back along a linepass ing through central portions of the holes Z).

The manner in which the tongue is bent is shown in Figs. 12 and13. Thoseextremities what separated. The tongues of the clamp lever press thewebbing into these holes and between the forward and rear extremitiesthereof so that such extremities become gripping jaws 8 and 6modification of that shown in Figs. 7 8 and 9. The jaw 8 is united atits central part by an integral tongue with the blank out of which thebuckle frame is made, instead of being united at its ends, as shown inFig. 7 The supplemental jaw or back gripper is represented at 6 The samecapacity for yielding and exerting pressure is found in the grippers 8and 6 as eXists in the grippers 8 and 6 of the buckle shown in Figs. 8and 9. Of course, in all of the constructions hereinbefore described inwhich the rear gripper is adapted to yield rearwardly, such gripper isseparable yieldably from the front gripper, and a relative separationbetween the rear and front gripper takes place whenever the webbing iscrowded between the grippers, as described.

The clamp lever for the forms of buckle shown in Figs. 7, 8, 9, 15 and16 may, if desired, be provided with short teeth bearing directly on thecurved tongues or connections by which the jaws or grippers 8 and 8respectively are connected to the body of the frame. The other teeth arelonger and crowd the webbing into the space between the front and backjaws or grippers as previously described.

It will be observed that in every case the webbing at the front of thebuckle acts as a stop against which the arm portion of the clamp lever 2bears so that the prongs of the clamp are arrested between the front andback grippers.

I claim,

1. A buckle comprising a frame, and a clamp lever pivoted thereto, saidframe having a bottom grip adapted to yield and permit said clamp leverto pass over it and the interposed webbing, and having also a back gripvon the other side of said clamp lever from said bottom grip whenthe'clamp lever is in closed or gripping position, arranged to take therearward thrust applied by the clamp lever to the webbing and toseparate from the front clamp in response to such thrust, whereby theportion of webbing engaged by the clamp lever is held between saidgrips.

2. A buckle consisting of a frame formed of looped wire, the centralpart of which is straight and forms a yielding back gripper and the endsof which are bent toward each other parallel to and at a distance fromsaid betweenfsaidback gripper and the-pintle ends'being looped to form abottom gripper parallel with the back gripper and at a greater distancethan the latter from the pivot of said clamplever, and to provideresilience, whereby the bottom gripper ls-811'- The buckle shown inFigs.15 and 16 is a abled toyield as the clamp lever passes over it, and theback gripper is enabled to separate from the bottom gripper in responseto the rearward pressure applied thereon by the clamp lever through theinterposed webbing, to receive that portion of the webbing which isengaged by the clamp lever and to grip the same on each side of the biteof the clamp lever. Y

3. A buckle comprising a swinging clampand a frame member havingtwogrlppers cooperating with said clamp in securingwebbing, one of. saidgrippers being resiliently supported in rear of the other with relationto the movement of said clamp, and nearer to the axis about which saidclamp swings, whereby it is pressed backward in' the course of clampingthe webbing and caused to exerta forward gripping pressure on thewebbing when the clamp is in closed, or clamping, position.

1. A buckle comprising a frame and an operating member having coactiveconnecting hinge portions, said operating member having a grippingedgefand said frame having a yielding portion arranged to coact withsaid edge to grip an interposed strip of webbing, said frame havinganother yielding portion arranged to hold the strip of webbing againstsaid operating member with yielding pressure, said two yielding portionsbeing arranged to exert their yield-.

ing forces in directions substantially at, right angles to each other. V1

5. The combination of a buckle and a strip of webbing; said bucklecomprising a frame having a pintle portion and gripping members, and aclamp lever pivoted to said pintle portion; the webbing having its end.

bent around the said gripping members and its running part passedbetween its end and said clamp lever, whereby the entire buckle isbacked by the webbing, and said gripping members being relativelyseparable yieldingly and so arranged that the clamp lever in closing iscausedto pass over one of said members and to crowd the webbing betweenthe members.

6. A buckle comprising a frame havinga pintle portion and two grippingmembers, and a clamp lever having an operating arm and a clamp orgripper complemental to the aforesaid gripping members extending at anacute angle tothe operating arm, and havingalso bearings adjacent to thevertex of the angle betweenits operating arm and its clamp or gripperwhich receive said pintle In testimony whereof I have aflixed myportion; the said grlp nng members being signature, in presence of twoWitnesses. located below said pintle portion When the T, buckle is inposition for use, and being ,GEORGE 5 spaced apart from front to rear bya dis- Vitnesses:

' tanee less than their distance from the pintle F. R. R ULsToNE,portion. 1?. W. PEZZETTI.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents,

' Washington, D. C.

